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RUI & FERNANDO WEDDING

Today we share with you a Real Wedding Story, this is about Rui & Fernando, a beautiful and inlove couple that tied the knot in Coimbra, Portugal.

But, let’s take it back a few years. Fernando, who was born in Coimbra, was spending the summer visiting. His academic schedule allowed him long periods of time to visit points far afield. Thanks to the internet and its social media outlets, these two found each other. And, while it might not have been “love at first click,” it wasn’t too far off.

“I quickly fell in love with the fact that he was from where I was born, that he was the father of two gorgeous daughters and knew where he was going,” said Fernando. Rui also represented for Fernando the possibility of a life fully out of the closet. While his friends and siblings knew he was gay, Fernando had not come out to his parents.

Coimbra would be the destination for their wedding last summer. Fernando had spotted an old, palatial building just above Coimbra and set out to make it their venue. “The building was so beautiful. European style, typical blue Portuguese tiles and an amazing view.”

A city official presided over the daytime ceremony, which was followed by an evening meal, toasts and dancing into the night aglow with sparklers. For Fernando, his favorite moment of the wedding was when he said “I do.” “I had been struggling with the language, but when we said those words, it was magic. We teared up knowing that we’d achieved what we knew was meant to be.” Rui will be immigrating to Canada in the next few months.

When asked his advice to future grooms, Fernando quickly answered: “Enjoy every moment of planning the wedding. Especially the conversations between each other and the people around you.” He went on to describe the pride he had at his school when some of the much younger students came to understand and appreciate that it was possible for two men to fall in love and marry.

No matter the distance, the age or the circumstances, when people experience and witness love, few are the challenges that can’t be overcome.